“Honestly, I’ve been through so much to get to this point,” White said. “People talking about my age, talking about this injury I had in New Zealand I’m still recovering from. But it’s all worth it now.”

The 31-year-old had won the gold medal in this event in 2006 and 2010 but ended up off the medal stand with a fourth-place finish in the 2014 Games.

This year seemed to be his toughest competition yet, not only with his age and injuries being a problem but the field has only gotten stronger.

After White took first place in the first run, Japan’s Ayumu Hirano moved into the top spot through the second run. The American wiped out in the second run, putting all the pressure on the last run of the competition.

He stepped up with his best performance yet, nailing two 1440s during his run for the win:

While he had won twice before, the veteran seemed as excited as ever with the latest victory. His work to return to the top of the sport paid off as he becomes one of the best ever to compete in the sport.